by Jason Hicks
The term "post-rock" embodies a nebulous cluster of artists that on their surface have little in common but a lack of vocals. Indeed, when bands as diverse as Pelican and Sigur Ros fall under the same tag, it becomes questionable as to whether the term has any descriptive value. But for better or worse, folks will continue to refer to instrumental music that prominently features guitars and live drums as post-rock for the foreseeable future. After progenitors like Slint and Tortoise laid the ground work in the early 90s, Canada became a hotbed of post-rock activity around the turn of the millennium. Among the most notable Canadian bands within the genre were the highly influential Godspeed You Black Emperor and Do Make Say Think. Which brings us to the self titled album recently released by Do Make Say Think's guitarist Ohad Benchetrit under the moniker Years on Broken Social Scene's label Arts and Crafts.
While many of the other members of Do Make Say Think appear on several of the tracks, and fellow DMSTer Justin Smalls earns a "with" credit, the album certainly has the intimate feel of a solo project and it was self produced by Benchetrit as well. Many of the tracks like "Don't Let the Blind Go Deaf" are nothing more than multitracked acoustic guitar, which gives the album more of a rootsy feel than the usual post-rock fare. Other songs like "The Major Lift" get the full band treatment, including a horn section and feel a bit more in the DMST vein.
The album is also fairly electronic with plenty of loops, skittering beats and stactic-y digital sounds, yet it still retains an organic warmth. A great example is "Are You Unloved?" which consists of some chopped up acoustic guitar, electric guitar swells, horns, and beats. Even though the vast majority of the sounds have been heavily processed, the track still manages to avoid a sterile feeling and the end result is something much more impassioned than your typical digitally produced music. Which at the end of the day is probably the signature achievement of post-rock, the ability to produce emotional music without relying on lyrics or typical verse/chorus song structures. Although one track, "A Thousand Times a Day (Someone is Flying)" throws in some vocals just to keep things interesting. While Years is more confined in scope than the majority of post-rock offerings, it keeps the impact and even hints at the dramatic peaks that are characteristic of the genre.
With its folky qualities and coziness, Years manages to carve out a bit of a unique sound that's both fresh and highly enjoyable. Indeed it feels like an album that could be the perfect compliment to a lazy Sunday morning or a late night reading session. If we're lucky Benchetrit will continue this side project, as there seems be the potential for Years to lead us to some new musical places.
You can download a free track from the album at the Arts and Crafts site here, enjoy!
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